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Lantern Health management contract costing more

Husband, wife team hired for senior facilities

By Jan Schultz The Imperial Republican

With the change in administrators at Imperial’s senior services facilities, cost for Lantern Health Services management will be going up in the transition.
At their meeting Monday, city council members approved a new agreement with Lantern, which has been provided management services for the Imperial Manor and Parkview Heights since March 2015.
For March, April and May this year, Lantern will receive $11,000 per month for its management services. That’s the original fee they were paid when hired two years ago.
According to discussion Monday, that fee will be renegotiated after those three months, said council member Doug Gaswick, who also chairs the senior services board. Lantern had been receiving $5,000 a month up until the recent change in administrators.
“The agreement will be renegotiated after May when we can determine how much management service we need,” Gaswick said.
If no agreement is reached at that time, they will revert back to a $5,000 per month fee, Gaswick added.
The new senior services administrator, Eric Haider, begins work Monday. He replaces Nolan Gurnsey, who resigned the end of February.
His wife, Margie Haider, has been hired as the Director of Nursing at the senior care facilities, replacing Ashley Ambrosek. She starts employment April 24.
As part of Monday’s meeting, the council approved wages for the recently-hired employees.
Margie Haider will received $90,000 a year, plus the opportunity for up to $5,000 in bonuses.
Eric Haider will earn $70,000 annually, also with an opportunity for $10,000 in bonuses. When asked about the salary amounts, Gaswick said both Haiders, who now live in St. Joe, Mo., come with a lot of experience.
“We are bringing a couple of people on board with a lot of experience,” he said.
Also as part of the wage ordinance, interim administrator Lyle Hight will be paid $75 per hour. He came on board after Gurnsey’s departure to fill in until the new administrator is here. Hight also served as interim administrator two years ago when Lantern took over the management duties. At that time, Hight earned $55 an hour.
Other business
Brothers Aaron and Ryan Greene attended the meeting, where they read a letter of their concerns with the police shooting range location.
The Greenes own property south of the transfer station, where the police department’s shooting range has been located since 2012-13.
Reading from the letter, Aaron Greene said, “The city police members have been shooting toward our property with disregard to whom or what is down range.”
Ryan Greene said his children have access to their property south of the range, and ride four-wheelers outdoors.
The Greenes talked to two of the officers and Police Chief Ryan Wisnieski about it, but expressed concern the shooting continues.
Wisnieski presented photos to the council of the range, which has berms of dirt piled behind the targets. He believes no bullets have bypassed the berms, and said more dirt has been added to heighten the berms since the Greenes expressed concern.
No action was taken. City Attorney Josh Wendell said the mayor and police chief have the control over the use of that property.
The sheriff’s department used to practice shooting there, as well, but no longer does.
The council approved a replat of property in Cornerstone, dividing a lot owned by Matt Hanna. He is selling the west 125 feet of the lot to Jeff Rusher/dba Rusher Hardscapes & Sprinklers.
The council also adopted a resolution authorizing sale of vehicles and other items removed from two nuisance properties.
After damage to backboards in the city gym, the council purchased three security cameras for the gym and hallway at a cost of $2,717.50.